Rating: 4/10
The latest subject in Disney’s attempts at live-action is the classic Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale “Snow White,” credited for kickstarting animated cinema in 1937.
Set in a fantastical kingdom, the story follows a young princess named Snow White (Rachel Zegler) as she hides with seven dwarfs from an Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) who is set on killing her. After supposedly dying from eating a poisonous apple, Snow White is saved by a true love’s kiss and defeats the Evil Queen. The basic plot of the original story and movie is incorporated in the adaptation, but some plot differences will leave a strange taste in the viewer’s mouth.
An immediate difference is that Snow White’s parents have an exposition in the beginning that posits her father as a “one true king” that even bandits and criminals serve. Starting the story earlier feels like an attempt to “democratize” this story’s monarchy, also clunkily attempted in “Aladdin” (2019).
This clues the audience in on what Disney thinks needs to be updated in the original story. There are things genuinely being critiqued about the story, and the sociopolitical position of Snow White’s absent dad isn’t one of those things.
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Another deviation is that Snow White’s prince isn’t even a prince anymore — he’s a member of the aforementioned bandits that support the king. The plus is that their dynamic does make their subsequent relationship clearer, and it adds moments to show Snow White’s newfound strength.
The problem is that Snow White can’t escape a limited run time, meaning all its exposition will feel a little rushed and clunky.
By adding five new songs, this adaptation deviates musically from the original. Standouts include “Waiting On A Wish,” a defiant ballad sung by Zegler and the replacement of the 1937 classic “Someday My Prince Will Come.”
Fans of the original will be pleased to know that this film preserves the two classic numbers “Heigh-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work.” Both scenes are visually stunning, and the songs are more robust lyrically and stylistically than in the original. Zegler’s rendition of the latter number is particularly well done.
Zegler’s and Gadot’s performances are equally memorable but for very different reasons. Zegler’s performance as Snow White is incredibly strong. She has the voice and signature Disney-princess fun that helps the audience smile through the pain.
On the other hand, Gadot’s performance as the Evil Queen is unconvincing, bordering on campy. The Evil Queen’s new musical number, “All Is Fair” is the weakest song in the film. Her singing abilities aren’t all the way there. This song starts as a solo, but an equally campy ensemble joins in. No production design can hide the flatness of Gadot’s performance.
Even the dwarfs, now named “magical creatures,” were off putting. These CGI monsters stole the scene in a bad way.
Every step of creating this movie, from the writing to the production to the acting, was riddled in controversy. Disney has once again proven that adaptations tend to just make people angry. It’s a losing battle and creates fodder for fights on social media. So why keep making so many remakes? Why is “Lilo and Stitch” releasing later this May? Maybe it’s just how the studio can cling to recognition. After all, the first films were themselves adaptations of popular stories. Maybe it’s all Disney knows how to do.
